Real haunted houses on Oahu

By Melissa Chang

Published: 2012.10.31 04:01 AM

Try as I might, I can’t get enough ghost stories about active real estate in Hawaii. No surprise: In a state where people get extra skittish when they discover someone died in a home or if you experience night marchers, such stories could affect property values.

But here are some homes that I can talk about, and you can visit them tonight for their Halloween attraction to see for yourself. In fact, you can visit Hawaii’s Plantation Village year-round, just without the seasonal decorations.

You may remember Phil, known as the Obake Hunter, whom I interviewed last Halloween. This is his busy time of year, so I hung out with him at a cemetery one day to see what’s been going on in paranormal Honolulu.

We’d always heard about how there are real ghosts at Hawaii’s Plantation Village in Waipahu, and that there’s a high level of activity there. He and his girlfriend, a psychic, recently went to check it out.

One of the funny things is the social hall, in which they could actually hear people moving around. Each house also has its own spirits, which is natural since the property is so old.

One in particular is the Japanese Christian house, where Obake Hunter’s girlfriend could tell there was an object—she doesn’t know what—that didn’t belong in there. It’s not cursed; it’s just misplaced and is upsetting the spirits that live there. They left a digital recorder in the house and went off to explore the rest of the homes. When they came back, they could hear doors opening and closing, and things being dragged across the floor.

“Could it be the object being moved? Maybe, not sure,” says Obake Hunter. “But when I left, I went to the side of the house and took some photos.” And this is what he saw—a mysterious light source.

“We had to take several photos for comparison to rule things out as much as we could, and couldn’t find an explanation,” he says. So why are these people so upset, other than the fact strangers traipse through their home almost daily? Obake Hunter says he may be investigating this on a more regular basis to find out, and hopefully put the spirits to rest.

“It’s not just about finding the spirits, our mission is to help them—whether it’s to deliver a message or just help them finally cross over peacefully,” he says.

As he relayed other ghostly stories to me—some terrifying, some charming—he did have some words of advice for those who may have experience or those seeking the experience: “Treat these spirits with respect. Don’t try to disturb them; seek them out because you are trying to learn about them or help them, but don’t desecrate their resting place.

“I know I call myself the Obake Hunter, but you can’t call yourself a hunter if you can also be hunted,” he says.

About Our Writers

Honolulu Real Estate focuses on the Hawai‘i housing market, condos and homes for sale, Hawai‘i rentals and general news about real estate in Hawai‘i. It also includes stories on apartment living, home decor and profiles.

Melissa Chang graduated from the University of Hawai‘i with a degree in journalism. She has been blogging about food and travel since 2007. She works primarily in social media, so you can find her online @Melissa808 on Twitter and Instagram.

Jaymes Song is a real estate agent at Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate in Kāhala. Jaymes is in the top 2 percent of Better Homes agents nationwide. He was voted “Best in Real Estate 2014” by HONOLULU Magazine readers. Previously, Jaymes was at The Orange County Register, Honolulu Star-Bulletin and rose through the ranks to overseeing news and operations for AP in Hawai‘i and the Pacific Rim. Jaymes lives in the Portlock area and loves his real full-time job as a dad to two curious kids.